Soy Milk Recipes

A few weeks ago, we had our family friend Tam over for tea time. I raved about the fresh soymilk that we buy locally from a small shop in San Jose. Tam insisted we should make our own, and I have ever since.

The ingredient list is easy: a few soaked soy beans, filtered water and the sweetener of your choice. I've perfected the recipe since I prepare it almost daily. I flavor the soymilk with a bit of vanilla, nutmeg, mung beans and raw peanuts for extra richness. It's much healthier than the one you find at the store. All you need is a high-powered blender, a fine-mesh strainer and 30 minutes for the soy beans to cook. It's that easy to make your own soymilk!

I realized I haven't made soymilk at home in a long time. This weekend, I got the girls involved and we made our own. The process is ultra easy even though it's labor intensive. But the result is well worth it. The amber color is slightly darker than the one you get at the store and the velvety, almost buttery texture is very satisfying. We made many gallons of freshly made soymilk and used much of it in other dishes. I'll share those recipes soon.

Sinh tốtrái cây are popular Vietnamesesnackdrinks. The phrase literally translates to "fruit vitamins", but you know them better as smoothies.

This particular smoothie is flavored with jackfruit (mít in Vietnamese). The secret ingredient though is the mung beans (đậu xanh), which provide a creamy and consistent texture. The fresh ripe fruit gives a natural sweetness to the smoothie, which is enhanced by the addition of condensed milk and ice cream.

Sinh tố đu đủ literally translates in Vietnamese to papaya (đu đủ) vitamin (sinh tố). I've made sinh tốbơin the past with creamy avocado, but I got my hands on a beautiful papaya, so I made this version instead. You can also make many variations of the Vietnamese drink such as jackfruit, durian or mango depending on what you have on hand. The usual sweetener is sweetened condensed milk. You can blend the fruit with either yogurt, soy milk, regular cow's milk, coconut milk or coconut water.

I love wandering through ethnic markets. They're a great place to find interesting ingredients to develop new recipes. This weekend, my husband Lulu and I went to Mi Pueblo supermarket in East Palo Alto after a trip to the nearby Home Depot. Along with the beautifully ripe papaya, which reminded us of our last trip to Cancun, I found nopales (cactus), exotic banana varieties and the best horchata I’ve had in a long time. On top of that, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. I’m definitely going back for more great Mexican ingredients.

I think if he could, my husband would drink pumpkin pie. He already inhales it every Thanksgiving! So this pumpkin protein drink is about as close as it gets to making his dreams come true. It's an ultra easy breakfast to make when you're on the go, and it’ll get you in the mood for the soon-to-be holiday season.

The drink is packed with vitamins, protein (I added soy protein) and calcium, making it markedly healthier than the real deal, and perfect for vegetarians like my husband Lulu.